The Expendables=jet li+sylvester stallone+jason statham

[doug maverick]

so it looks like jet and jason will star in sly's next film, called the expendables the basic story is about a group of mercernaries who are hired to overthrow and south american dictator, stallone has penned the script and is set to direct the film. so this film is chocked full of action stars. what do you guys think, hit or miss? i think it'll be interesting one thing is for sure there gonna be alot of ADR on this film. cause its hard to understand all three at times.

[doug maverick]

i was being nice but getthebigpicture.net went there.


This movie starts to go downhill once you get past the title. The Expendables is a magnificent thing to call a movie about soldiers, and I think we can all agree on that. It gets shaky, however when you tack these names to the bulletin board: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Jet Li.



Seriously? We need those three guys in a movie together? Don't look for a lot of monologues, I guess.

Stallone will direct, according to Worst Previews, which says that Nu Image/Millennium will produce the film, just as they did this January's Rambo. On top of that, Sly wrote the script, so give him credit for a doozy of a title, but the mercenaries-overthrowing-a-dictator storyline is boring, expected, and not particularly timely.

I've read on some websites that people are actually excited about this, but I can't see how that's actually possible. Stallone's only worthwhile movies in fifteen long years are Rocky Balboa and Copland, Jet Li is never that good in movies where he has to speak English, and frankly, neither is Jason Statham.

It makes me wonder if the guys at Nu Image/Millennium asked themselves, "How can we get more out of those three chronically underperforming action stars? I got it: Pool our resources!"

[Lucas]

at least there is potential for lots and lots of violence...lots of violence can sometimes take the place of actual acting. :D

[GreenCloudCLF]

at least there is potential for lots and lots of violence...lots of violence can sometimes take the place of actual acting. :D

If there is half the carnage there was in Rambo I am so down!

[Zenshiite]

I'm at the point where I'll only watch Jet Li in movies that are either entirely Chinese... or with more involvement by Chinese than not such as the Forbidden Kingdom.

And I haven't liked Jason Statham since The Transporter 1.

[Li Kao]

I'd have to say I'm not too excited about this one either for some reason. The last movie Jet Li and Jason Statham were in together -- War -- was probably the worst movie either has done in my opinion. I haven't really liked Statham since the 1st Transporter movie either, and I have to be honest in that I was more looking forward to seeing Shu Qi in that than him. I really liked Statham in the 2 Guy Ritchie movies -- Lock, Stock, and 2 Smoking Barrels and Snatch -- I like his as a wise-cracking grifter, but I guess he hasn't won me over yet as an action hero though. We'll see what Sly can bring to the table, but I'm not holding my breath on this one ...

[doug maverick]

i agree with li kao even in revolver(another richie film all be it not up the standards of snatch and lock stock) i liked statham better then his other films. and while transporter was awesome, now that i look at it again its kinda cheesy and sub par, part two was a total rip of man on fire, which was just hands down an amazing movie by denzel with tony scott as the director.

[Jimbo]

I like Statham's British movies better than his action hero stuff as well. I was really turned off by Transporter II. I felt embarrassed to be watching it in the theater.

As for Jet Li, I will mostly watch only his Chinese films. Although I will say, IMO the best films in the West that he's made have been in Europe (Kiss of the Dragon, Unleashed). The European filmmakers seem to know how to better use him than straight Hollywood filmmakers.

[doug maverick]

i usually have a wait and see perspective on movies but this just sounds aweful even the story is weak, and sooooo 80's.

[Zenshiite]

I guess Sly thinks it's the Reagan years again so he can get away with this kind of crap. Newsflash Sly, it's not and you can't.

[SimonM]

Jet Li: Best f-ing action actor on earth.
Jason Statham: Certainly makes the top 10.
Sylvester Stallone: No sir, I don't like him.
Movie based on the concepts of American Exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny, Preemptive Military Action, or any other flavour of millitaristic aggression: WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?!?!?!??!

So I'll watch it on video probably... that way I can continue claiming to have seen every Jet Li movie. ;)

[sanjuro_ronin]

I hope they cast Jet as a bad guy, the only english speaking role I liked him in was LW4,as long as you forget the ending, which was horrid.
Jason Statham sucks the sweat of a dead man's balls.
As for Sly, I think he likes the term expendable too much, he used it in Rambo 2 and I assume that how he views wives and people's inteligence.
For what its worth, Rambo was, well...Bloody, can't recall anythign else about the whole movie.

[SimonM]

I don't get why everyone is hating on Statham... he plays stupid thug in a bad suit so perfectly!

[sanjuro_ronin]

I don't get why everyone is hating on Statham... he plays stupid thug in a bad suit so perfectly!

You're right, he doesn't lick the sweat of a dead man's balls.
He slurps it with a straw.
F-en wannabe MA...

[doug maverick]

Jet Li: Best f-ing action actor on earth.
Jason Statham: Certainly makes the top 10.
Sylvester Stallone: No sir, I don't like him.
Movie based on the concepts of American Exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny, Preemptive Military Action, or any other flavour of millitaristic aggression: WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?!?!?!??!

So I'll watch it on video probably... that way I can continue claiming to have seen every Jet Li movie. ;)

yeah i would probably have to disagree with you on the jet li thing. but everything else seems on point. with people like sammo hung, jackie chan, donnie yen, tony jaa(yes although his **** is redetive its still amazing) and slew of other MA action people still alive, and who blow jet out of the water there is no way he can be called the best but he's up there.

[peace&love]

This has potential. Stallone can direct. I thought he did a good job with the last Rambo. I guess I'm curious if it is going to be a traditional action film or more martial arts oriented. If the latter, I hope Stallone gets a great person do design the fight scenes. Otherwise, I'm afraid we might get another WAR which was really bad.

[SimonM]

sammo hung

Sammo is good... and he can do dramatic acting as well as Li can (these days, Li caught up) but Li's just got better moves.


jackie chan

Sorry but that opera clown will never equal Jet Li. ;)
Plus he was in Cannonball Run which automatically down-grades his props from me by at least 20%.


donnie yen

Opposite of the Sammo situation. Donnie Yen has the moves (man does he have the moves) but he's not got any dramatic acting skills yet. He is Li's equal if you discount all the chinese made movies from Unleashed on (plus Unleashed).


tony jaa

Please tell me you are kidding.

Ong Bakh was... OK.
Not great.

Fight scenes so poorly lit you could barely see his arms and legs takes away from his thunder somewhat. Furthermore his films since Ong Bakh have been even more forgettable than the average film to come out of the Thai cinema industry.

[banditshaw]

This movie is missing the one actor that can add balance to the potential speaking hazards that could grip this films production.



























Vin Diesel.
:cool:

[TenTigers]

don't misjudge Tony Jaa-most of the movies released since Ong Bak were actually older films, re-released due to his recent discovery.

[SimonM]

This movie is missing the one actor that can add balance to the potential speaking hazards that could grip this films production.


Vin Diesel.
:cool:

ROTFLMFAO

True though. We have the brit, the ESL guy and Mr. Can't-form-a-cohesive-syllable himself as the leads.

And TT: I'm just saying: Tom Yun Goon was a REALLY bad, BAD movie.

[Zenshiite]

Tom Yum Goong had some of the best screen fights ever. Rediculous story aside... those fights were awesome.

[SimonM]

I stand by my original argument that Jet Li whups Jaa and Chan amalgamated into some strange two-headed-martial-cinema-frankenstein-mutant.

[Lucas]

but nobody beats jackie chan for kungfu comedy tho. half of watching jackie films is for the big stunts, and un orthadox, impromptu stunts. the other half is to get some good laughs.

also, jackie mainly makes movies for the family.

[Lucas]

i like jet li probably the most. over all

for action my favorite is Yen, cuz well, he could actually whoop jet li's ass so bad in real life.

[peace&love]

I like both Jackie and Jet equally well. As mentioned before, they bring different positives to the table. Jackie has some great stunt work and his comedic timing is great. Jet is definitely the better screen fighter though. His work as Wong Fei Hung is fantastic. Also, Fist of Legend may contain my favorite fight scenes of all time. Jet is just great in that one.

[banditshaw]

What Jet and Jackie have over Jaa is charisma which they both have in spades. As well as experience......
Maybe over time and as many movies under his belt, Tony Jaa could yet shine. His moves are pretty sick. But I want to see him branch out and do some other flicks in other countries.

[SimonM]

but nobody beats jackie chan for kungfu comedy tho. half of watching jackie films is for the big stunts, and un orthadox, impromptu stunts. the other half is to get some good laughs.

also, jackie mainly makes movies for the family.

Yes, Jackie Chan is the kung fu equivalent of a circus clown... and if that is what you are looking for he is the top of his field. But for martial arts dramatic acting gotta go with Jet or Sammo... and I prefer Jet of the two.

I've been exposed to Thai cinema more than most (Thailand exports a lot of movies to China) and I must say that, in general, I'm not a fan.

[TenTigers]

Keaton, Chaplain, Chan. When you look at their body of work, I think Chan has earned his place next to his idols.

[GeneChing]

I find it hard to believe Sly's still milkin' Rambo...


Stallone, Statham infiltrate actioner (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i584ca84fe0cfe9411937d2b04d9a1ba2)
Jet Li in final negotiations to join 'The Expendables'
By Gregg Goldstein

Nov 5, 2008, 11:03 PM ET
SANTA MONICA -- Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham have become expendable.

The pair will join Jet Li, who's in final negotiations, as a team of mercenaries in "The Expendables."

The Nu Image/Millennium Films actioner will be directed by Stallone from his original screenplay, the first project in his two-picture deal with the studio. The second is expected to be the next installment of his popular "Rambo" series.

In "Expendables," the main characters are sent to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator to liberate the population. Their team is "expendable," hired to do jobs that no one else can or will.

Principal photography will begin in February in Costa Rica and Louisiana. The producers are courting big international presales at the American Film Market.

Avi Lerner, John Thompson and Kevin King Templeton are producing the film with executive producers Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short and Danny Dimbort.

"Making films with Nu Image/Millennium gives me as the director the opportunity to make the films I envision," Stallone said. "I am happy to be partnering with them again and am looking forward to working with Jason and Jet."

[Lucas]

im really interested in what kind of savage twist stalone is going to put on li's character. i bet hes a mean guy

[enoajnin]

Jason Stathem said on KROQ Los Angeles that he will start shooting the Expendables with Sylvester Stallone and Jet Li in February 2009

[enoajnin]

In case Jet and Jason and Sly weren't enough of a cast for "The Expendables", Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke are now slated to appear in the movie, too. I guess they are just waiting on JCVD before they start shooting.


From the Guardian:

Comeback kid Mickey Rourke recently credited Sylvester Stallone as one of the people who helped him back on to the Hollywood treadmill with a low-key role in the latter's remake of Get Carter.

Now the Oscar-tipped star of The Wrestler is repaying the favour: he is to play an unscrupulous arms dealer in Stallone's forthcoming action romp The Expendables, according to Variety.

The film, which will also feature the musclebound forms of Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Stallone himself alongside the slightly lither figure of Jet Li, centres on a group of mercenaries tasked with bringing down a south American dictator. Stallone, who is writing and directing, also hopes to add heavyweight actors Ben Kingsley and Forest Whitaker to his lineup.

The Expendables will start shooting in Brazil in March.

[Lucas]

Rofl!!!!!!!!!!!

[GeneChing]

So did Chan, Snipes and JCVD.

Is this going to be the Burn Hollywood Burn of action films?

Exclusive : Expendables Under Siege (http://www.moviehole.net/200919409-exclusive-expendables-under-siege)
Author: Clint Morris Date: Sunday, June 7th, 2009 Time: 2:32 am

With Bruce Willis now as good as onboard ‘’The Expendables’’ (whoops, did I say that out loud!? Truth of the matter is, they’re trying to squeeze Bruno’s cameo in around the actor’s schedule on “A Couple of ****s”), and a cast list that includes such strapping fisticuff pupils as Jet Li, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dolph Lundgren, Sylvester Stallone’s ostensibly managed to sway every living, breathing action icon into his elongated protein shake commercial…. Well, all but a couple.

Jackie Chan (surprisingly, since he and Sly are apparently as tight as a teenage bandie), Jean Claude Van-Damme (who knocked back an offer to play a role because he didn’t feel he’d get enough face time) and Wesley Snipes (busy doing pantomimes in prison) aren’t in there; neither is pony tailed kick-dragon Steven Seagal. And actually, there’s an interesting story there.

The “Under Siege” star was recently offered the chance to join the production (as a goodie or baddie? I don’t know), but despite his friendship with Stallone, ultimately nixed the offer. Why? Well, it had nothing to do with screen time or scheduling, but more to do with who was producing the flick – one Avi Lerner.

“There’s too much bad blood between them”, says a source close to the actor, who confirmed the Seagal rumour.

Seagal was screwed over by the infamous Lerner a few years back, and just doesn’t want to be a part of anything that’ll put money in that guy's pocket, we were informed.

Seagal and Lerner made quite a few films together including “Mercenary for Justice”, “Today You Die” and the recent, “Kill Switch” – but for numerous reasons have fell out. Had “The Expendables” had happened a year or two ago, it’s quite likely Seagal would’ve been in it.

Bummer.

[uki]

awwwwww man... come on guys, the new rambo rocked!! i literally had tears in my eyes at the end of it. :D

[brothernumber9]

I don't care what anyone says. I don't know anything about this movie, but I'm all in. It will be pure schtick and bad one liner heaven. The only thing that could make it better is if they get Jesse Ventura too.

[Lucas]

I REALLY want a scene where sly and li cant understand each other.

[Shaolinlueb]

I REALLY want a scene where sly and li cant understand each other.

hahaha that would be awesome

[TaichiMantis]

stallone has penned the script


He can write? Ohh...my....:rolleyes:

[Shaolinlueb]

He can write? Ohh...my....:rolleyes:

he wrote the new rocky and rambo movies, those were good.

[GeneChing]

"fist fight between martial artists Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren"

When Sylvester Stallone brings an explosive movie called 'The Expendables' to New Orleans, there's nothing small about it (http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2009/07/when_sylvester_stallone_brings.html)
by Mike Scott, Movie writer, The Times-Picayune
Monday July 06, 2009, 5:00 AM

The bullet casings littering the New Orleans-area set of the Sylvester Stallone action flick "The Expendables" didn't seem quite right.

They were strewn across the deck of a faux cargo freighter dominating a significant chunk of the 500,000-square-foot Louisiana Film Studios facility in Elmwood. To the untrained eye, they appeared to be .22-caliber shells or something similarly small, littler than the tip of a man's pinkie finger.

And in this movie -- built around an oversized cast, shot upon oversized sets and utilizing oversized weapons -- .22 caliber is unacceptably puny. Because the $80 million "Expendables" is not small. It's really big.

"It is very, very, very hard," writer-director-actor Stallone said, describing the shoot during a recent break, still wearing the black fatigues his character wears in the movie. "This is the hardest film -- and I know everybody says that -- (but) this is unbelievably difficult. It's just tough. There's just so much action."

Coming from a pedigreed action-film veteran with such titles as "Rocky" and "Rambo" under his belt -- not to mention their combined eight sequels (so far) -- those words mean something.

On this particular hard day's night -- which started about 8 p.m. and was still going strong at 3 a.m. -- Stallone already had overseen the near-hanging of one bad guy, a scripted fist fight between martial artists Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren, a bit of comedic improvisation with Lundgren, and a handful of increasingly jarring explosions that echoed through the studio complex while most of the cast was grabbing a 2 a.m. "lunch."

So the action star, who turns 63 today, can be excused for propping himself on the front of a golf cart to chat with pasty reporter-types.

"This started out as a dark comedy; it started out as a satire," Stallone said. "Then we thought, 'Let's make a really hard R' -- then I go back. It constantly was being just brutally changed. It wasn't until a week before filming that I said, 'Let's just make it this kind of movie.'"

And what is "this kind of movie"?

It's a high-adrenaline, well-muscled buddy picture in which Stallone, Jason Statham, Li and their team of mercenaries -- which includes Lundgren, mixed-martial-arts champ Randy Couture and NFL-player-turned-actor Terry Crews -- tackle the types of missions normally reserved for people whose combat boots and MREs come compliments of Uncle Sam.

Their missions come to them through a grease-monkey intermediary named Tool (played by Mickey Rourke).

"Let's say we dug up 'The Wild Bunch' and gave them one more shot," Stallone said. "These guys don't fit in this kind of world. They are 'The Expendables.' That's why they're called that."

Before the production wrapped late last week� after two months in the New Orleans area, the sets for "The Expendables" sprawled all over the Louisiana Film Studios complex, a former Winn-Dixie grocery warehouse that saw its conversion into a film studio rushed along to accommodate Stallone and company.

In one section of the warehouse was the aforementioned cargo freighter deck, perched atop a 10-foot wooden platform. In another area was a set constructed to resemble the ship's cavernous cargo hold. There's also a wingless military plane somewhere, painted in the logo of the ornithology outfit that serves as the cover for the movie's mercenary characters. And, looming in the darkness outside, there's an expansive palace complex that had taken a pyrotechnic beating on previous nights.

Impressive stuff, to be sure -- but nowhere near as impressive as the film's alpha-male cast. In addition to Stallone, Statham, Li, Lundgren, Crews, Couture and Rourke, it also includes former pro wrestler Steve Austin and Oscar nominee Eric Roberts. There are plans for a cameo by Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as a double-secret cameo from another action star whom the producers are playing coy about naming (*cough*cough*Bruce Willis*).

"We've got some tough men in this movie," Stallone said. "I mean some bad-asses, trust me. The extras -- you think I'm joking? -- we've got extras in this movie that could conquer countries. I went to Brazil and got the baddest, toughest mercenary group. .¤.¤. It's staggering. Every one of them would just take all of us and snap us like spaghetti -- and they're extras."

Earlier in the night, and for much of the previous one, Stallone spent time choreographing the film's action-packed opening sequence, in which his titular team of mercenaries settles a hostage crisis with Somali pirates in the only way their know how: loudly.

("Don't be scared of the pirates," unit publicist Sheryl Main whispered unconvincingly to a group of set visitors.)

A motley band of mahogany hulks wearing tattered shirts and permanent scowls, the pirates are presumably among the bad-asses to whom Stallone was referring. When the cast and crew sat down for lunch, these guys had a table to themselves.

Even Crews -- who spent seven seasons as an NFL defensive end and linebacker -- found himself wide-eyed at the sheer scope of the action in "The Expendables."

"Everything is intimidating, dude," Crews said. "This is crazy."

In a neck-and-neck race with Li for the title of most congenial member of the "Expendables" cast, Crews might also be the biggest. On one biceps is the skull-and-raven tattoo worn by all the members of Stallone's fictional mercenary team. Statham jokes that the version on Crews' supersized arm is the one that usually goes on others' backs.

Those biceps weren't of much use, however, when the movie's pyrotechnics experts placed explosive charges throughout the palace courtyard, a duplicate of a real complex in Brazil at which the production filmed.

"When they blew this whole set up, I swear it looked like 9/11. It was scary," Crews said. "I was really concerned about everybody on the ground. You start to worry, when the dust settles, 'Is everybody going to be OK?' I mean, that was a major, major thing. That was so huge. It was bigger than anybody thought it was going to be. .¤.¤. It was like, 'Oh, wow. OK, I think we overdid it this time.'"

Overkill -- that seems to be a common theme on "The Expendables" set. It's the word Crews uses to describe his character's trademark weapon, an AA-12 semi-automatic shotgun. ("When I tell you it's the most insane thing you've ever seen -- each bullet, it arms itself with its own grenade," he said. "It's the king of overkill.")

It's also the word used by Lundgren, who's working with Stallone for the first time since playing rival boxer Ivan Drago in 1985's "Rocky IV," to describe his character. ("His special skill is overkill," Lundgren said. "He's got the biggest knife -- here's the sheath -- the biggest gun, which fires tank grenades that sort of vaporizes the person, liquefies them. When you hit him, it's game over.")

Stallone's character carries a pair of .45-caliber handguns. Statham's is a knife man. Li arms himself with steel-toed boots, which become lethal weapons when attached to his lightning-fast feet. And Couture's weapons are his hands.

Beneath it all, however, Stallone knows there has to be more than bloodied baddies to keep audiences engaged.

"Like 'Rocky,'¤" he said, referring to the career-defining 1976 movie that earned him Oscar nominations for acting and writing. "The whole thing about 'Rocky' wasn't about him boxing. It was about aging -- that was what made the movie. It wasn't him. It was about her -- him finding love, him making someone's life better -- and, before you know it, the audience identified with it."

In "The Expendables," he said he has created a group of characters who are hardened, heartless and invulnerable in combat. Off the battlefield, however, each is deeply flawed. "Every one of them has feet of clay," he said.

Strapping Statham's character , for example, has trouble relating to women; Stallone's has trouble relating to everybody; and Lundgren's is a homicidal maniac.

Although the movie, with its big action, big cast and sense of humor, is meant to be fun, Stallone hopes the undercurrent of vulnerability he's written into the major characters makes audiences connect with them. "If it's just about muscles and bullets, then it's a pretty limited thing," he said.

If such a connection is made, you can expect to see "The Expendables" back for more adventures.

"Definitely. We already have got some ideas about 'Expendables No. 2,' 'No. 3,'¤" said Millennium Films' Avi Lerner, a producer on the film. "Definitely, it's a franchise movie."

The cast's principals would jump at the chance to crack more skulls in a sequel -- assuming their characters are still around when the final credits roll on this first installment. The movie is called "The Expendables," after all.

Some even divulged that their characters survive the action.

And just like that, these "Expendables" don't seem very expendable after all.

"That's what I'm saying!" Crews said. "'The Renegotiatables' -- let's make that happen."

[Dragonzbane76]

I enjoyed rambo and hope he carries over some of the blood and gore from it to this new one. He said he was going for a "hard" R at the beginning but now he's changed it again, so we'll see what happens.

[@PLUGO]

Here's a batch of new images from Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming muscle-man-packed action flick, The Expendables. (http://screenrant.com/new-images-sylvester-stallone-the-expendables-ross-18471/)

[aktionmancer]

Terry Crews is absolutely hilarious!!

White Chicks FTW

[doug maverick]

the thing that makes me laugh about this project, is that according to some friends i know working on this thing, sly originally wanted this to be a spoof action movie, making fun of the movies he, chuck, arnold and all the other 80s action hero's made. but once fans got wind of it, the story became something else. actually it now sounds more like the dc vertigo comic book the losers....

[@PLUGO]

the thing that makes me laugh about this project, is that according to some friends i know working on this thing, sly originally wanted this to be a spoof action movie, making fun of the movies he, chuck, arnold and all the other 80s action hero's made. but once fans got wind of it, the story became something else. actually it now sounds more like the dc vertigo comic book the losers....

THE LOSERS (http://www.beyondhollywood.com/category/the-losers-2009-movie/), by the way is shooting in Puerto Rico shortly (http://jasonaaron.org/blog/2009/07/10/the-losers-movie-update/). It should also be noted that the Vertigo version of THE LOSERS was a sort of remake of the old WWII comic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losers_(comics)) of the same title.

[doug maverick]

yeah so i heard....both these movies may come out around the same time..awkward!!!!

[@PLUGO]

reminds me of when Armageddon came out a week after Deep Impact.

[GeneChing]

This looks pretty entertaining to me...

Expendables trailer (http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-expendables/trailer)

[Shaolinlueb]

it was taken down i think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAbgiaVCE-U

[GeneChing]

They all sound so old when you put it this way...:o

Sylvester Stallone breaks his neck shooting fight scene in veteran action heroes' movie (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1240799/Sylvester-Stallone-breaks-neck-filming-veteran-action-heroes-movie.html)
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:28 PM on 06th January 2010

Sylvester Stallone broke his neck while filming a fight scene in his latest movie.

The veteran action hero had emergency surgery and a metal plate inserted in his neck following the accident on the set of The Expendables.

The 63-year-old actor was filming a fight with wrestling co-star Stone Cold Steve Austin, 45, in the upcoming movie, but it was so realistic that Stallone ended up with a hairline fracture in his neck.

Stallone told FHM magazine: 'Man, it was seven guys, kicking each other's ass, one guy tougher than the next. No joke, our stunt guys were begging for mercy.

'Actually, my fight with Stone Cold Steve Austin was so vicious that I ended up getting a hairline fracture in my neck. I'm not joking.

'I haven't told anyone this, but I had to have a very serious operation afterwards. I now have a metal plate in my neck.'

The plot of the film centres around a team of mercenaries who head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

The movie features a who's who of veteran action actors including Arnold Schwarzenegger, 62, Bruce Willis, 54, Dolph Lundgren, 52, Mickey Rourke, 57, Jet Li, 46, as well as relative youngster Jason Statham, 37.

It also stars Brittany Murphy, who died in December of a heart attack.

Stallone, who wrote the script and directed the movie, said testosterone was flowing during filming.

He said: 'Bruce's character, who hires me to do the job the film's based on, turns to me and says, "Look, there's one person I need to talk with before I give you the job."

'At which point Arnold, who plays my oldest rival, walks out.

'And it's clear we have a lot of history there. So I tell him I should have shot him a long time ago when I had the chance.

'And the scene goes from there. But man, those guys were up for it.

'They got out of bed at 5.30am just to shoot a small five-minute scene.'

It is not the first time the actor has been hurt during filming. He was also badly hurt by Dolph Lundgren when he filmed Rocky IV.

He said: 'Dolph and I always went for it. I gave him orders to try to knock me out while the cameras were rolling. At one point, he hit me so hard on the head I felt my spine compress.

'He then hit me with an almighty uppercut. That night my chest started to swell, and I had to be helicopter-ambulanced from my hotel to a nearby emergency room.

'I was told that Dolph had punched my rib cage into my chest, compressing my heart. If it had swollen any more, I would have died. Lundgren hit Stallone so hard in the chest that Stallone had to be helicopter-ambulanced to hospital

'After that, I was like, "Dolph, it's only a movie, bro."'

Stallone recently revealed that he and Arnold Schwarzenegger, once huge rivals, are now the best of friends.

'He's my best friend now. It's strange, given what big rivals we used to be. He's still ridiculously competitive, though. See this watch?

'This is the only one of its kind in the world, so I wore it to our last lunch. Arnold was desperate for me to get him one but I had to explain that wasn't possible. He was so mad!'

[GeneChing]

The comic prequel is coming sooner.

Dixon Explores "The Expendables" (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25142)
by Steve Sunu, Staff Writer
Tue, March 9th, 2010 at 12:58PM (PST)

Things will get explosive in May when Dixon's "Expendables" hits comic stores

This May, Dynamite Entertainment is taking a look at the beginnings of one of this year's most anticipated action movies with the help of writer Chuck Dixon with "The Expendables," a miniseries that explores a period of time before the movie of the same name takes place. Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, the film is loosely based on the many action films from the late '80s and early '90s and stars a number of the biggest action movie stars from that time period, including Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Stallone himself. But while the movie is set for a late August 2010 release, fans won't have to wait that long to see some of their favorite movie heroes of old in action.

"This is a movie that Sylvester Stallone has been trying to get together for years; an action movie packed with as many well-known action stars as possible," said Dixon. "Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Jet Li and like a dozen more. Bruce Willis and Arnold even show up. The premise is a bunch of hard-luck mercenaries who take on high risk jobs for premium pay. They go in where others fear to tread. Each has a specialty; handguns, martial arts, explosives, knives...Sly's not re-inventing the wheel here. He's just built a really bad-ass, killer wheel of awesomeness."

Spinning this wheel to start is Dixon himself. For the writer, helming the four-color prequel is "Another chance to strut my stuff, and hopefully to a brand new audience that's never given me a try." With a plenty of action story credits, Dixon feels that this project definitely fits his writing style. "I'm known as an action writer. I think it's a bit of typecasting, as I also do humor and can write the soap opera stuff," he told CBR News. "But I do handle the action easily and I'm willing to do the homework on weapons and fighting techniques. My vast experience at running away from danger comes into play, too." As for characters, Dixon feels he knows the stars of the story already. "These guys are definitely in the Frank Castle vein as far as being remorseless tough guys," he said. "It's barely a stretch for me."

The comic, while drawing upon the elements from the film, will also have a few surprises in store for those looking forward to the movie. "Well, the one thing you'll see in the comic that's not in the movie is Mickey Rourke's character, Tool, in action," Dixon said. "He's alone against some really evil hombres, and we see the reason that Stallone's character turns to him as a mentor. He's a serious bad-ass."

Dixon's "Expendables" story takes place before Stallone's movie of the same name

Joining Dixon on the project is artist Esteve Poll. Dixon told CBR News that he has great faith in his collaborator's artistic abilities, especially as relates to the specialized cast, location and audience of "The Expendables." "My artist is Esteve Poll and he's one of my favorites," Dixon said. "We've worked together quite a bit the last couple of years, and he really knows how to create evocative locales. There're few artists who can equal him when it comes to weaponry."

Dixon's comic book prequel is faithful to the movie, as Dixon has had access to the full story ahead of time to craft his own. "I have read the script," he said. "My job is to tell a story that takes place before the events of the movie without revealing anything that's to come in the movie's story. I sort of hint at some of the conflicts in the group, but this is more of a straight adventure story rather than any kind of character-driven stuff that the movie deals with. That stuff needs to be a surprise, and I'm not interested in providing any spoilers."

"There's lots of hints in the movie that these guys have been through some really tough, horrifying times together," he added. "It's just cool to see one of their earlier missions."

While Dixon's previous experience writing team-oriented action titles definitely added to his landing the writing gig on this book, there were still a few aspects that gave him a little bit of trouble. "It's a challenge. It was easier when I did "A-Team" or "G.I. Joe" prequels, because I was familiar with the characters. Here, it's tougher," he said. "I haven't seen the movie, and working out the individual voices for the characters takes more work. But Stallone's screenplay is so tailor-made for each actor that I could 'hear' their voices as I read the screenplay. I mean, Mickey Rourke says stuff that is so Mickey Rourke. Being an actor, Sly has a real ear for how people talk." Another challenge for the writer was exploring territory that has, untils now, been completely uncharted and unknown. "How do you write the part before 'Once upon a time…?' And I have to echo the screenplay in some places, but do it without borrowing from the movie's story. Kind of like making a new garment from the material of another."

But sewmaster Chuck Dixon obviously has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to make his prequel look like an Oscar red carpet-worthy garment, and moreover, he's excited to do so. "Being part of this crazy project is the most rewarding thing," Dixon exclaimed. "I'm a fan of these kind of movies and a fan of this cast. It's neat, even in a small way, to be a part of an instant classic."

[GeneChing]

I just got this from a publicity rep:
The Expendables Trailers & Video Clips (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808411960/video)

THE EXPENDABLES Official Website:
http://expendablesthemovie.com/

Follow THE EXPENDABLES on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/expendablesmovie

Follow THE EXPENDABLES on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/lionsgatemovies

Follow THE EXPENDABLES on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/lionsgatelive

[GeneChing]

The OFFICIAL WEBSITE (http://expendablesthemovie.com/)

Also Ain't it Cool has a new trailer.

Some exclusive EXPENDABLES fun! Take a look!!! (http://aintitcool.com/node/45263)
Hey folks, Harry here with the latest bits of awesome coming from THE EXPENDABLES. The brief Television spot will be seen later this weekend during the big UFC Fight in Vegas between B.A. Baracus and some fool to pity named R. Evans. Well, we have it for ya before it hits the pricey fight seats! Plus - we have the big EXPENDABLES - "Legends" banner - which you can click open to hugetacular proportions.

And the Facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/expendablesmovie).

[sanjuro_ronin]

That looks like a hell of a lot of fun !!!!

[GeneChing]

The Expendables - :60 Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_OQpXk8vAQ)

P.S. I flipped Doug's title from "jet li+sylvester stallone+jason statham=The Expendables!!!" to "The Expendables=jet li+sylvester stallone+jason statham" just so it displays better when looking at the overall forum.

[GeneChing]

From a Lionsgate rep:

On behalf of Lionsgate, we are very excited introduce a new five-part series where Sylvester Stallone takes you behind-the-scenes of THE EXPENDABLES! The first episode just premiered on iTunes so check it out now. Make sure to tune in every Thursday for a new episode exclusively on iTunes Trailers.

Behind-the-Scenes Episode 1: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/theexpendables/

From a PR rep for Expendables:

Stallone. Statham. Li. Three of the most badass Expendables are coming to a theater near you…

But Expendables fans don’t have to wait till August 13th to check them out! A new vintage arcade game has arrived from Lionsgate and Break that lets fans play as Barney Ross, Lee Christmas or Yin Yang in full 8-bit glory. Beat the game as Yin Yang to unlock Bonus Mode for a chance to see alternate endings and easter eggs!

Make it onto the Top 10 All-Time High Scores list for official Expendables swag from Lionsgate and Break.

Join the fight!

http://www.facebook.com/expendablesmovie?v=app_136379469711900

[doug maverick]

well the losers failed...the Ateam kinda failed....even thou it looks like its on its way of making a profit globally. how will the expendable fare...i mean they put it in august....which is like the January of the summer...however they put inglorious *******s in august and it flourished. so who knows.

[GeneChing]

Jul 22, 2010
Action stars duke it out for Comic Con's attention (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/livefrom/post/2010/07/action-stars-duke-it-out-for-comic-cons-attention/1)
11:07 PM
By Kevin Winter, Getty Images
The only action star missing from Comic-Con's movie panels Thursday was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Thursday saw Angelina Jolie, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, heck, even Dolph Lundgren.

But few blow it up like Sylvester Stallone, here to pitch his film The Expendables. No worries about this being mistaken for a Merchant-Ivory picture. The stars of the film, about a band of mercenaries tasked to overthrow a dictator, gave most of the 6500 fans in Hall H a permanent boost of testosterone.

The stars, who include Lungren, Li and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, made no bones about their duties on set. "We beat the crap out of each other 25 years ago," Lundgren says of Stallone, his Rocky IV opponent.

Apparently, Stallone wanted a lot of folks in the fray, but some exercised discretion. "I reached out to some of the other guys from back in the day," Stallone says. "Van Damme, Segal, Chuck Norris. And it couldn't quite work out, whether because the timing was off or because (they considered it) insanity."

Insane is right. During one fight scene of the shoot, Austin fractured Stallone's neck. Austin offered no public apology.

"When the writer, director and the lead actor (Stallone) tells you to kick the (expletive) out of him, then I'm gonna kick the (same expletive) him." - Scott Bowles
Haven't found any Li interviews yet. That's hard to tease out of a search.

[sihing]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lX5-Grmo8s

Behind the scenes footage of Stallone and Austin fight scene, and neck breaking scene too..I think this movie is gonna rock:)

James

[GeneChing]

Click for clip

Jet Li Uses His Size To His Advantage In A New Expendables Clip (http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Jet-Li-Uses-His-Size-To-His-Advantage-In-A-New-Expendables-Clip-19916.html)
By Katey Rich : 2010-07-30 17:31:36

The manliest movie of the summer is almost upon us-- are you prepared for the guns both euphemistic and literal? The Expendables hits theaters on August 13, and coming off their hit Comic Con panel, Sylvester Stallone and his burly men seem pretty confident that moviegoers will opt for their brand of machismo in the waning days of summer.

If you need any proof that this movie fulfills its claims of being the manliest movie ever, check out the new clip released by Lionsgate, in which Jet Li argues it's harder for him to be a mercenary because of his size, but when the bullets start flying, it's the small guy who's the most useful for fighting back. Just goes to show you that even a drive down an average street can turn deadly--and awesome-- when Sly Stallone is behind the wheel.
They are releasing so much promo material on this flick that I almost feel like I've already seen it.

[GeneChing]

Vanity Fair's review

Is The Expendables a Good Movie? (And 24 Other Urgent Questions) (http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2010/08/is-the-expendables-a-good-movie-and-24-other-urgent-questions.html)
by Mike Ryan
August 11, 2010, 9:35 AM

Sylvester Stallone and an all-star cast of testosterone-fueled action stars (Jet Li, Jason Statham, et al.) storm into theaters this weekend in The Expendables. So it’s not really a question of if something will blow up or whether someone will be knifed in the throat. It’s more the question of how often **** will blow up and how many people will be knifed in the gullet. As a service, we try to answer every question that you could possibly have about The Expendables.

Q: What exactly are The Expendables?

A: The Expendables are a crack squad of mercenaries that are hired for various different suicide missions. Though they have no actual affiliation with the U.S. Government, it’s said that the C.I.A. will hire them, from time to time, for missions that the U.S. wants no official role in leading.

Q: Who are The Expendables?

A: The Expendables consist of Barney Ross (Stallone), Lee Christmas (Statham), Yin Yang (Li), Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), Toll Road (Randy Couture), and (for a little while) Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren). They travel to each mission on a pretty nifty sea plane. They are the Best of the Best.

Q: Seriously, those are their names?

A: Yes.

Q: The “Best of the Best” is led by a man who is 64 years old?

A: Well, we are in a recession.

Q: That’s the whole team? I thought there were a lot more action stars. What happened to Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, and Arnold Schwarzenegger?

A: They’re all in there. Rourke more than the other two, but none of them are actual members of the strike force. Rourke, who plays a man named Tool, is asked to join, but his days of fighting are over. He now spends his time winning his money on knife-throwing bets and spending his time with a revolving door of ladies, just as I imagine Mickey Rourke does in real life.

Q: Knife throwing? This is what The Expendable do with their free time?

A: Absolutely. Getting tattoos and throwing knives. Just another night out with the boys!

Q: Does Rourke still use the Russian accent he used in Iron Man II?

A: Thankfully, no.

Q: So, it’s confirmed: Arnold is in the movie?

A: Yes, it’s been confirmed for awhile. He’s only in the movie for about three minutes, and it’s with Stallone and Bruce Willis. Additionally, Schwarzenegger’s appearance makes him the only sitting United States governor who has ever made a cameo in a movie where the scene’s punch line involves an oral sex joke. (Unless there are some videos from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell we’re not aware of.)

Q: Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone are all in the same scene? You know, there’s so much star power between the three of those guys, maybe they should all go into business together. If these guys opened a theme restaurant chain together, what would it be called?

A: That’s a tough one. Probably something with a Hollywood theme? Maybe something like “Planet Los Angeles” or “Hollywood World”?

Q: Is it weird watching Rocky and Drago fighting for the same team?

A: It doesn’t last long. In the opening scene, Lundgren’s character gets a little too barbaric while killing captured enemy soldiers. Stallone cuts him from the team, which doesn’t sit well with the former Drago.

Q: Which one was married to Brigitte Nielsen?

A: Stallone was married to Nielsen in real life. Lundgren was married to her in Rocky IV.

Q: What is the mission that The Expendables accept?

A: Bruce Willis, who goes by the name Church, offers the team a mission that involves going to a South American island named Vilena and overthrowing the island’s general. Stallone and Statham go on a scouting mission to the island first and discover that an ex-C.I.A. agent names James Munroe (Eric Roberts) is actually running the island from behind the scenes. The two agree the mission is too dangerous, but while he’s down there, Stallone falls in love with the general’s daughter, so he must return.

Q: Eric Roberts is the villain? Does his character resemble Salvatora Maroni in The Dark Knight?

A: Not at all. Actually, I could be convinced that Roberts’ character in The Expendables is the same apple throwing, checkers playing character that he played in the video for The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.”

Q: What’s the best part about The Expendables?

A: Well, a lot of things blow up and people seem to like that. And it is fun to see all those guys onscreen together (especially the aforementioned scene involving Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis) even though the plot is razor-thin.

Q: What’s the worst thing about The Expendables?

A: There are a few. One that stands out is Jason Statham’s subplot involving his ex-girlfriend that leaves him because, as she tells him, “we’ve been dating for a year and a half and I have no idea what you do?” I can see how that would be problematic.

Q: Did she leave Lee (Statham) for an abusive new boyfriend?

A: Of course.

Q: Does she ever figure out what Lee does for a living?

A: Well, at least he thinks she does. When Lee discovers that she has a black eye, he confronts the abusive new boyfriend while he’s playing a game of pick-up basketball. After beating up not just the boyfriend, but the entire team, Lee dramatically tells his ex, “now ... you know what I do.” I have no idea how she gets “international mercenary” from “bully of over-40-basketball-league.”

Q: What’s another problem with The Expendables?

A: I was expecting more out of Jet Li. He’s reduced to a character that constantly complains he isn’t being paid enough. If these were scenes from a hidden camera and actual real life negotiations, it would explain Lee’s phoned-in performance.

Q: Since this is an unapologetic action film, is it safe to assume that The Expendables’ raid of the island comes pretty early in the film?

A: Surprisingly, no. The full Expendables team does not set foot on the island until 75 minutes into the film.

Q: Is The Expendables a good movie?

A: Absolutely not. But, to be fair, it’s not really trying to be a good movie.

Q: Considering all of Sylvester Stallone’s movies, where does The Expendables rank?

A: The Expendables is better than the softcore porn Stallone starred in, The Party at Kitty and Studs. It’s obviously not as good as his great movies like the first four Rocky films or the original First Blood. I’d rank it somewhere in between Rhinestone and Over the Top.

Q: Wait, Stallone was in a softcore porn? What was it about?

A: He was! As for the plot, well, Stallone plays Studs. As the title suggests, he and Kitty throw a party. You can probably guess what happens after that.

Q: If you are going to be blurbed in the commercials for The Expendables, what do you hope the quote will say?

A: “The Expendables is better than Stallone’s softcore porn! - Mike Ryan, Vanity Fair.”

Q: In the three-way battle for box office supremacy between The Expendables, Eat, Pray, Love, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, why will The Expendables win?

A: If The Expendables does win, it’s because every male who does not own a hoodie will want to see this movie. Conversely, every female who does not own a hoodie will want to see Eat, Pray, Love. All male and females who own hoodies will want to see Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. It’s simple, the more you think about it.

Q: How many future divorce papers will cite August 13, 2010, as the day their marriages were effectively beyond repair?

A: The over-under is currently at 1,700.

Get your hoodies here (http://www.martialartsmart.com/95w-036chnw.html). ;)

[GeneChing]

'Expendables' could be a hit for Lions Gate (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/10/business/la-fi-ct-lionsgate-20100810)
A good performance at the box office by the action movie could help shore up the studio's position as investor Carl Icahn tries to seize control of the company.
August 10, 2010|By Claudia Eller and Ben Fritz, Los Angeles Times

When a movie is about to open, its actors and filmmakers usually think only about whether audiences will show up and like what they see.

But Sylvester Stallone, who stars in and directed this coming weekend's "The Expendables," is acutely aware of a pressing matter of an entirely different nature: the behind-the-scenes war raging between the movie's distributor, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., and corporate raider Carl Icahn, who has been trying to seize control of the company for more than a year.

"It's like the sword of Damocles hanging there as you walk through the front door," said Stallone, referring to the Greek legend about imminent peril faced by people in power. "If the movie does perform, it could help take some of the pressure off. It's been tense over there."

Mounting fear of a hostile takeover by Icahn permeates the executive suites at the Santa Monica studio led by Chief Executive Jon Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns as the company struggles to fend off its largest shareholder and keep focused on producing and releasing movies and TV shows.

"The Expendables" holds particular significance right now for Lions Gate, whose movie performances are being closely scrutinized by Icahn. The activist investor has criticized the studio's film strategy and publicly lambasted management for overspending on productions such as the June box-office disappointment "Killers," starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. Lions Gate hasn't had a breakout hit since early 2009 with Tyler Perry's comedy "Madea Goes to Jail."

But based on its strong prerelease buzz, "Expendables" may turn out to be a movie that even Icahn can't disparage. The high-octane action movie is generating strong interest among men of all ages and is likely to open to more than $30 million. That's not to say it's a slam-dunk, as the studio learned recently when its comic book adaptation "Kick-Ass" failed to live up to the mega-hype the film generated among fanboys before its release.
Perhaps this is why Expendables has been pushing forward such an aggressive marketing campaign.

[GeneChing]

I wasn't even aware of this and here I live in CA...:o


California Unions Take Pay Protest to Movies (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/11/business/11furlough.html?src=busln)
By DAVID STREITFELD
Published: August 10, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — State workers across the country have long complained about budget-cutting by way of furloughs and pay cuts. Now California’s state employee unions are taking the fight to the wellspring of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s popularity: the big screen.
Enlarge This Image

A satirical poster criticizes Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for making California employees take unpaid time off.

The workers, scheduled by the governor to be on unpaid leave on Friday, say they will demonstrate outside theaters across the state showing the new action thriller “The Expendables,” which features a rare cameo by the actor turned governor, who is likely to become an actor again when his term expires early next year.

“While state workers are being asked to do their job with less money, he is restoring his movie star status,” said Jim Zamora, a spokesman for Service Employees International Union Local 1000. “It’s another slap in the face.”

Mr. Schwarzenegger and about 150,000 state workers are at loggerheads: he wants them to continue taking furloughs to help close the state’s huge budget gap, while they are declining the honor of making such a sacrifice.

The service workers, the Association of California State Supervisors, the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association and other unions are suing to stop the furloughs. The cuts amount to a 15 percent reduction in pay.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Steven A. Brick said Monday that the unions had raised “serious questions” about the governor’s ability to order the unpaid vacations. Pending a resolution of the court case, Judge Brick canceled the furloughs.

Lawyers for the governor appealed the decision on Tuesday.

Whatever the outcome, state workers are trying to raise a little havoc with “The Expendables.” The title alone is a gift from Hollywood, allowing the unions to post such declarations on their Web sites as, “Tell Arnold We’re Not Expendable.”

A demonstration on Aug. 3 during the premiere of “The Expendables” at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood forced Mr. Schwarzenegger to skip the red carpet and enter the building from the back, the service workers said.

The governor’s spokesman, Aaron McLear, said Mr. Schwarzenegger often enters buildings from the back as a security measure. Mr. McLear said he had not heard of any demonstrations against the movie, but said that the state workers “are certainly free to do whatever they want.”

From the evidence of its trailer, the Sylvester Stallone comeback vehicle employs every action movie cliché (“A job no one wanted is becoming a mission no one expected”) and every aging action movie hero this side of Steven Seagal (Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li and Jason Statham, and Mr. Stallone himself).

The movie is expected to be a big commercial hit, not because of the governor. His role is uncredited.

[GeneChing]

I just got this from a publicity rep for The Expendables.


Lionsgate is holding eBay charitable auctions for FIVE posters from THE EXPENDABLES signed at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con by actors Terry Crews, Steve Austin and Randy Couture, benefiting The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The winning bidders will receive studio certified posters signed by the cast along with a signed letter verifying their authenticity. In addition to the poster, each winning bidder will also receive an EXPENDABLES t-shirt, EXPENDABLES bandana, beer cup, 3 temporary tattoos, and an action DVD pack including RAMBO, TRANSPORTER 3, POINT BLANK, WAR and TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY. The auctions are currently running and will end Monday, August 16th, 2010.

Please click on the following links to view the auctions:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180544922850&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180544922942&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180544923131&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180544923239&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180544923340&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
I want an Expendables beer cup!

[GeneChing]

I'm cherry-picking a few - especially looking for ones focusing on Li and Couture. Here's an odd Li intro (is that really needed?):

The Expendables: Heroes today. Legends forever. (http://culturemob.com/blog/the-expendables-heroes-today-legends-forever)
by John Black on August 10, 2010
in Film, National

The tagline for Sylvester Stallone’s new movie, The Expendables — “Heroes today. Legends forever” — will mean a lot to fans old enough to remember going to theaters and seeing the films that made the majority of the cast action movie legends in the first place.

But what about today’s young action movie fans, the ones who think Christian Bale and Tobey Maguire are action heroes because they look good in a padded costume and have plenty of post-production trickery (not to mention stunt men) to make them look heroic on the silver screen. Does that audience appreciate why it’s so cool to watch a 64-year-old guy like Stallone kicking bad-guy ass on the big screen?

To give new fans a better appreciation of why these guys deserve the label of action movie legend, here is a quick list of some films that the stars of The Expendables made back when they were the box office studs who would become legends.

Sylvester Stallone (64 years old).

Stallone in First Blood

First Blood made Stallone into an action hero
He won an Oscar nomination for his acting in Rocky, but if you want to really watch Sly in awesome action movie mode then watch First Blood, the first of the Rambo movies. The action is first rate, and much more believable that the cartoon antics of the second and third movie in the series. Stallone’s performance as a troubled veteran who gets pushed too far is strong, too.

Mickey Rourke (58 years old).

Although he’s on a bit of a career role these days, thanks to strong performances in Iron Man 2 and The Wrestler, to get a real sense of why Mickey Rourke rocks watch him in The Pope of Greenwich Village. It may not be an ‘action movie,’ per se, but the film spotlights just how cool a character Rourke is on screen. Seeing him as a young, handsome and much smaller version of the muscular man he is today is shocking. As a bonus, you get to see The Expendables bad guy Roberts (54 years old) as Rourke’s skinny young punk buddy.

Jet Li (47 years old).

Martial arts legend Jet Li is a relative newcomer to mainstream American movie audiences, although Hong Kong action fans have been watching his high kicking style of fighting for years. His excellence as a fighter often overshadows the fact that Jet Li is also a good actor. To see him excel in both action and drama, watch the epic movie Hero, the story of how one man (Li) defeated a trio of assassins who plan to assassinate a powerful warlord in pre-unified China.

Jason Statham (38 years old).

While certainly not ‘old’ by most standards, Jason Statham is reaching that cinematic age where a lot of less-fit action movie actors have to start looking for roles that don’t require them to do too much heavy lifting. Statham’s love key personality and high energy fighting skills have never been better showcased than in the frantic film Crank, the Speed-like story of a man with a bomb in his chest that will explode if his heart rate drops too much. It’s a silly idea, sure, but Statham makes it believable.

The Expendables opens in theaters nationwide Friday, August 13.


The Expendables
Stallone and his band of macho men (http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2010/08/13/the_expendables/)
By Ty Burr
Globe Staff / August 13, 2010

THE EXPENDABLES
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Written by: Stallone and David Callaham
Starring: Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, Giselle Itié
At: Boston Common,
Fenway, suburbs
Running time: 103 minutes
Rated: R (strong action and bloody violence throughout, some language, unreconstructed ’80s machismo)

‘Rocky Balboa’’ in 2006, “Rambo’’ in 2008 — Sylvester Stallone has been trying to recapture his youth, or comment on his distance from it, for several years now. With “The Expendables,’’ the writer-director-star may have finally found the magic formula. A testosterone-fueled all-star action orgy that wouldn’t be out of place on the Cinemax late-night schedule circa 1986, “Expendables’’ is the closest thing to movie Viagra yet invented. It’s reprehensible. It’s stoopid violent. It’s a lot of unholy fun.

As the film opens this weekend, it’s easy to picture lobby crowds splitting by gender, women streaming in to see “Eat Pray Love’’ while the men queue up for Stallone’s all-you-can-eat red-meat buffet. “Expendables’’ wastes no time: The opening scene is set aboard a Somalian pirate ship, with the rough, tough mercenary team led by Stallone’s Barney Ross using extreme prejudice to rescue US hostages from badly accented, badly acted villains. Bodies and knives fly through the air, limbs are separated from their owners, obscene amounts of ordnance are deployed. It’s all so . . . uncomplicated.

Barney’s team is made up of a who’s who of meathead culture: “Transporter’’ star Jason Statham as Christmas, a hotheaded British blade expert; Dolph Lundgren, who came to fame fighting Stallone back in 1985’s “Rocky IV,’’ as unreliable psycho Gunner; martial arts legend Jet Li as Ying Yang (!), getting all the short jokes they didn’t use up on Shaobao Qin in “Ocean’s Eleven’’; former NFL man-mountain Terry Crews as gun-crazy Hale Caesar (!!); Randy Couture, the UFC mixed-martial-arts topliner, as the amusingly neurotic Toll Road.

So it’s half “Dirty Dozen’’ remake, half ’80s class reunion; Bruce Willis and a certain bodybuilder-politician are among the surprise alumni who put in unbilled appearances. As Tool, Barney’s semi-retired best friend, Mickey Rourke mostly sits around tattooing the other characters and indulging in misty, what-does-it-all-mean monologues. He still gets the biggest applause from the audience, as befits the survivor with the most scars.

Stallone, who wrote the script with David Callaham (“Doom’’) and directs the mayhem with flat-footed efficiency, knows the villains in this kind of movie have to be even dumber than the heroes. The Expendables accept a mission to save an island nation — it’s called Mandala or Vindaloo or something — where an evil ex-CIA agent played by a rabid Eric Roberts (yes) has corralled the local general (David Zayas) into basing the country’s economy on cocaine production. Just to even the odds, Roberts’s henchmen include wrestler “Stone Cold’’ Steve Austin and kickboxer Gary Daniels. Before the good guys arrive, the rebel forces appear to consist solely of the general’s lissome daughter Sandra (Giselle Itié).

Itié is on hand to remind us that everyone’s heterosexual here — trust me, some of the dialogue has you wondering — but otherwise this is a boy’s night out all the way, from the preposterous amount of bullets fired and vehicles exploded to the towel-snapping locker room banter to the pump-it-up classic rock goosing the action. (“Mississippi Queen’’? Creedence’s “Keep on Chooglin’ ’’? If this soundtrack isn’t available on 8-track, there’s no justice in the world.)

What makes “The Expendables’’ bearable and even enjoyable is that Stallone and most of the cast maintain exactly the right attitude toward this nonsense. There’s a certain lumbering grace to the movie that comes with age and experience and the urge to not take oneself too seriously. There’s also an awareness of when he-man posturing crosses the line into genuine moral ugliness on the part of the villains. I was not expecting the waterboarding scene.

That’s as far as it goes, but it’s enough. The movie’s macho swill but it’s honest macho swill, and it wears its nostalgia lightly. “The Expendables’’ takes us back to those halcyon days when all you needed to launch an action career was a body, some steroids, and a really bad script.
"It’s reprehensible. It’s stoopid violent. It’s a lot of unholy fun." sounds like our kind of film.

[sanjuro_ronin]

**** gets blown up !!
Noses get punched !!
Necks get broken !!
Faces get kicked !!
Blood gets spurted !!
**** story line !!
this is old school groin kicking and face punching !!!

Count me in !!!

BOOYAAAHHHKKAAASSSAHHHH !!!!!

[GeneChing]

'The Expendables,' Living Entirely Up To Their Name (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129103420)
by Mark Jenkins
August 12, 2010

An ex-CIA rogue has taken control of a pretty Caribbean island nation, transforming it into a repressive narco-state. Who ya gonna call?

Well, the Losers might be available. And then there's the A-Team. Or maybe the Expendables. All three groups of ragtag yet invincible mercenaries are pretty much equivalent. In fact The Expendables' director, co-writer and star Sylvester Stallone might just as well have called his squad of grizzled bad boys The Interchangables.

If Barney (Stallone) and his crew don't exhibit much personality, it's partially because they're too busy fighting. The movie opens breathlessly on a ship in the Gulf of Aden, where the Expendables dispatch a group of ruthless Somali pirates. Depicted partially in low-def video, the showdown resembles a ultraviolent video game, complete with spurting gore and exploding flesh.

After the triumphant bloodbath, Barney banishes one of his team, Gunner (Dolph Lundgren), for lack of restraint. (Scruples; it's nice to have scruples. Though as it turns out, Barney's top lieutenants — played by Jason Statham and Jet Li — aren't exactly career diplomats; when the final battle arrives, they and the other Exes [Terry Crews and Randy Couture] will exterminate scores of soldiers with no more qualms than they might swat mosquitoes.)

In the lull following that pirate shootout, the Exes retire to their garage/clubhouse, a shrine to tattoos, motorcycles, '70s blues-rock and knife-throwing contests. (There's no visible "No Girls Allowed" sign, but it must be there somewhere.) This macho theme park is supervised by Tool, played by Mickey Rourke, who appears not to have showered since Iron Man 2. Don't get attached, though; his role is only slightly bigger than those of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who share one amusing, in-jokey scene with Stallone.

Statham's Lee is the one Ex allotted his own subplot: He's distraught because his girlfriend dumped him for being too mysterious and too absent. Yang (Li) is reduced to a Dagwood-like tagline: He's always asking for a raise.
Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Randy Couture
Enlarge Karen Ballard/Lionsgate

The Improbables: Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone, center) is the most blandly named member of the Expendables. His compatriots include Lee Christmas (Jason Statham, left) and Toll Road (Randy Couture, right).
Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Randy Couture
Karen Ballard/Lionsgate

The Improbables: Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone, center) is the most blandly named member of the Expendables. His compatriots include Lee Christmas (Jason Statham, left) and Toll Road (Randy Couture, right).

In a quick attempt to convey mercenary motivation, Tool reminds Barney of how they lost their humanity while fighting — he doesn't say for whom — in Bosnia. It's one of several weightless geopolitical references in a movie that treats current events as mere fodder. (Waterboarding? Yeah, that could be a cool scene.)

Barney may have left his soul in the Balkans, but he's about to get a nobility injection. When he and Lee undertake a scouting mission to dictatorial Vilena, Barney meets Sandra (Giselle Itie), a fetching young revolutionary. Her fervent dedication to liberty (among other arousing qualities) inspires Barney to lead a mission to replace the local strongman.

That means also tangling with the power behind the Vilenian throne, cocaine-peddling Yank James Munroe (Eric Roberts). His Munroe doctrine? Greed is good.

Eventually, the Exes arrive in force, butchering the baddies and setting off abundant petroleum-fueled explosions. As in most current action movies, hyperactive editing substitutes for coherent movement. Li brought along his usual stunt choreographer, Corey Yuen, but their joint efforts seem to have been wasted.

Instead, the battle scenes rely on brutality so over the top that it verges on the farcical. Essentially, The Expendables is a comedy, although one that elicits genuine laughter less often than chortles of OMG shock.

Next to the hopelessly inexpressive Stallone and the English-impaired Li, Statham emerges as the movie's principal wit. But the script furnishes him with only a few deadpan quips. Besides, it's no great accomplishment to be the funniest guy in a Sylvester Stallone flick.
We'll have ours up in a few. Stay tuned...

[GeneChing]

Just posted for opening day: THE EXPENDABLES: Perhaps They Are (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=916)by Craig Reid

[sanjuro_ronin]

Bah !!
Critics !!
It is a movie about people getting punched, stabbed and shot and **** getting blown up.
Period !
Story and logic?
Read a freaking book !
Pussified critics !

[mickey]

Gosh,

Some of those guys look so geriatric that they should change the title to the movie to

"The Depends-ables"




mickey

[David Jamieson]

steamy interview
http://www.youtube.com/expendables

[sanjuro_ronin]

LMAO !!!
Well done !!

[doug maverick]

article DR. reid did a another good job my only comment is :


And now with RAMBO 5 being announced as a green-lit project, the absolute final part of the franchise.

when did that happen cause as recently as last month stallone said that he wasnt doing another rambo film, also he has a few projects ahead of that, its not even listed in his imdb. he's publically stated that if expendables succeed(and it looks like its going to do at least 35-40 thats smash for this film that i think was made for between 25-35mil) it will be his new action franchise. so while im not doubting the doctors sources, just saying he must have better ears then me.. cause i didnt hear about it and i usually do lol.

[TaichiMantis]

My son was quoted on one of the trailers! "manliest movie ever" Paul Tassi jo/blo

It was from an article he wrote on the trailer a long time ago...lol!:D

[Jimbo]

I thought it was a pretty good diversion for 100 minutes or so. Not something that you think too deeply about after it's over. I thought the Jet Li short man jokes were very lame, though, esp. the one from Crews. Jason Statham isn't exactly a tall man either, and neither is Stallone (who wrote it), he's just muscular.

I think Donnie Yen might have looked more at home in Jet Li's role. Donnie's onscreen persona is a lot harder. But unfortunately, Donnie's not a known name with the general American audience. And he still would have gotten the little man jokes. Plus, with the bad, jumpy camerawork, Donnie's MA would have probably been wasted, too. IMO, the best fight scene in the film was Jason Statham's about halfway through.

[GeneChing]

Given last weekend's offerings, I suppose that was to be expected. It's all about timing for releases. There's not much this upcoming weekend either - Takers might unseat Expendables. There's also the Last Exorcism. The following weekend is Labor Day so there's the American, Machete and more.


Stallone's 'Expendables' retains crown with $16.5M (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/22/AR2010082201458.html)
By DAVID GERMAIN
The Associated Press
Sunday, August 22, 2010; 1:53 PM

LOS ANGELES -- Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables" fought off an onslaught of newcomers to finish on top of the weekend box office again.

Lionsgate's "The Expendables" remained No. 1 for a second straight weekend with $16.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Directed by and starring Stallone, the action romp about mercenaries aiming to overthrow a dictator raised its total to $64.9 million.

Five new wide releases debuted to crowd the market, but none managed to pack in huge audiences and knock off "The Expendables."

"Given all that competition in the marketplace, I don't think there was any guarantee we would hold this strong, but we did," said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate.

Leading the newcomers was 20th Century Fox's "Twilight" spoof "Vampires Suck" with $12.2 million, raising its total to $18.6 million since it opened Wednesday. The movie mocks the blockbuster franchise with a parody about a moody schoolgirl in a love triangle with a vampire and a werewolf.

"Vampires Suck" was in a photo finish for the No. 2 spot with another holdover, Julia Roberts' drama "Eat Pray Love." The Sony film about a divorced woman traveling the world in search of fulfillment pulled in $12 million to lift its total to $47.1 million.

The Warner Bros. comedy "Lottery Ticket," featuring rapper Bow Wow as a young man besieged by neighbors after he wins a $370 million jackpot, opened in fourth place with $11.1 million.
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Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's cop comedy "The Other Guys" held up well in its third weekend, with the Sony release taking in $10.1 million and boosting its total to $88.2 million.

"The Other Guys" was in a tossup for No. 5 with the Weinstein Co. horror remake "Piranha 3D," which opened with $10 million. Inspired by the low-budget 1978 "Piranha," the update is set at a lake where spring-break partiers are consumed by prehistoric man-eating fish.

Universal's sequel "Nanny McPhee Returns," with Emma Thompson back as the homely title character whipping a wartime family into shape, opened at No. 7 with $8.3 million. The first film, 2006's "Nanny McPhee," debuted in fewer theaters but managed to pull in $14.5 million over opening weekend.

Bringing up the rear among new wide releases at No. 8 was Jennifer Aniston's single-mom comedy "The Switch," which debuted with $8.1 million. The Disney release features Aniston as a woman whose drunken friend (Jason Bateman) switches her sperm specimen at a party to celebrate her artificial insemination.

Surprisingly, the overall box office was down only slightly compared with the same weekend last year, when "Inglourious Basterds" fired up the normally quiet late summer with a $38.1 million opening and "District 9" held up well with an $18.2 million second weekend.

Revenues this weekend came in at $125 million, down just 1.7 percent from the same weekend a year ago, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"It was the collective strength of these five newcomers, plus the holdovers," said Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com. "Inglourious Basterds" and "District 9" were "so unusually strong for August that it should have made the comparison tough for this year. But the industry threw everything they had at the wall this weekend and tried to see what would stick."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Expendables," $16.5 million.

2. "Vampires Suck," $12.2 million.

3. "Eat Pray Love," $12 million.

4. "Lottery Ticket," $11.1 million.

5. "The Other Guys," $10.1 million.

6. "Piranha 3D," $10 million.

7. "Nanny McPhee Returns," $8.3 million.

8. "The Switch," $8.1 million.

9. "Inception," $7.7 million.

10. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," $5 million.

[doug maverick]

this is the weekend scott pilgrim should have came out it would have dominated.

[GeneChing]

That's lamer than calling someone out on the forum here. If you're going to call someone out, you got to do it to their face.

Sly Stallone Calls Out Van Damme on Twitter (http://www.starzlife.com/20100830/sly-stallone-calls-out-van-damme-on-twitter/)
StarzLife
By Charley on August 30, 2010 at 3:45 pm 0diggsdigg Buzz up!

Sylvester Stallone lives and dies by the “man book,” and in typical guy fashion, he’s been calling out rival action star Jean Claude Van Damme on Twitter today.

Van Damme turned down a part in Stallone’s #1 movie, The Expendables, and Sly is not letting him hear the end of it.

EXPENDABLES still blasting away. Thank you. Need a shoulder operation in two weeks. Another souvenir. No pain no gain. Remember that, Claude

I don’t mind getting hurt, it’s part of the job..please,. remember that, j claude..

If you not breaking things get a skirt and take up ballroom dancing …you men get it. we break things or get broken..

Stallone was probably hit with a thousand replies wither applauding him or calling him out for dissing JCVD, so he followed up with:

relax please, all action guys are bloody brothers, a brotherhood of respect…

Now that #1 was a success, we’ll see if Jean Claude signs on for the sequel!

[GeneChing]

I know, I know, late to the boat...

I couldn't hang with Jet's character. It reminded me a lot of the Yen character in Ocean's 11, 12, 13 (although I don't think I've seen all of those). It was a terrible waste of talent.

[doug maverick]

I know, I know, late to the boat...

I couldn't hang with Jet's character. It reminded me a lot of the Yen character in Ocean's 11, 12, 13 (although I don't think I've seen all of those). It was a terrible waste of talent.

its what happens when you have a bloated movie like that...i still havent watched it all the way through.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Lets be honest here, the movies was:
People got punched in the face, kicked in the groin and **** got blowed up.
Period.

[GeneChing]

The funny thing is that I don't remember a single thing about the plot of the Expendables now, just that it had a lot of old action stars...:o


SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 2:18pm PT by Borys Kit
'The Expendables' Writer Joins Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns to Write 'Wonder Woman 2' (Exclusive) (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/expendables-writer-dave-callaham-joins-wonder-woman-2-writing-team-1038759)

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2017/09/wonder_woman_bts_dave_callaham_inset.jpg
Clay Enos/Warner Bros.; Getty Images
Patty Jenkins on set of 'Wonder Woman,' Dave Callaham

Dave Callaham already has a strong working relationship with the director, who brought the writer into the fold.

Dave Callaham, the co-writer of action movie The Expendables, has joined Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns on the writing team of Wonder Woman 2.

The move comes just days after Jenkins officially closed her deal to co-write, direct and produce the sequel to the Warner Bros. movie that earned more than $816 million worldwide while also earning raves from critics and fans.

Jenkins and Johns have been working on a treatment for several months and Callaham will now join the duo to pen the script.

The storyline is being kept under wraps, but Jenkins has said she wants to jump ahead by several decades from the first film, set in Europe during World War I, and have the sequel take place in America during the Cold War. And she has reportedly said that having the heroine’s signature invisible jet in a movie is of key importance.

Jenkins and Callaham already have a strong working relationship, and it was Jenkins that brought the writer into the fold. Jenkins was working with him on Jackpot, an English-language adaptation of a book by Jo Nesbo; that project was gearing up to be Jenkins’ next movie before she took on the assignment to direct Wonder Woman.

Callaham, in addition to originating Expendables, had a story by credit on the 2014 movie Godzilla and worked on a reboot of The Wolfman that is due to be part of Universal’s monster cinematic universe. He is also a writer-executive producer of the Amazon action comedy series Jean Claude van Johnson.

He is repped by UTA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson.


Expendables (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52438-The-Expendables-jet-li-sylvester-stallone-jason-statham)
& Wonder Woman 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70375-Wonder-Woman-2)